Limitations

iNiR has some limitations due to compositor constraints, missing features in dependencies, or design decisions.

Compositor Limitations

#Niri-Specific

No native window minimization

• Niri doesn't support minimizing windows
• iNiR works around this by moving windows to a hidden workspace
• Not perfect, but functional

Click-outside-to-close requires workarounds

• Niri doesn't have native support for this
• iNiR uses backdrop panels or Escape key
• Some panels auto-close when others open

No live window previews

• Niri doesn't expose window thumbnails
• iNiR uses app icons instead
• Overview shows window titles and workspace info

#Hyprland-Specific

Partial support only

• Some features work, some don't
• Screen zoom requires Hyprland
• Lock screen blur hack is Hyprland-specific
• Not all IPC commands are tested on Hyprland

Hardware Limitations

#Audio

PipeWire required

• PulseAudio-only systems won't work
• No plans to support PulseAudio
• Migrate to PipeWire if you haven't already

#Display

External monitor brightness requires DDC/CI

• Not all monitors support DDC/CI
• Requires ddcutil package
• 300ms debounce to prevent flickering
• Laptop internal displays work fine

#Location

GPS weather requires geoclue

• Falls back to IP geolocation if geoclue not available
• IP geolocation is less accurate
• Some distros don't ship geoclue by default

Feature Limitations

#Clipboard

Requires cliphist

• No built-in clipboard history
• Must run wl-paste --watch cliphist store in background
• Images stored as files, not in memory

#Screenshots

No built-in screenshot tool

• Requires grim and slurp
• Region selection is compositor-dependent
• Some Wayland apps block screenshots (security feature)

#Recording

Requires wf-recorder

• No built-in screen recording
• Audio recording requires PipeWire
• Some apps block recording (DRM content)

#OCR

Requires tesseract

• No built-in OCR
• Accuracy depends on tesseract language data
• Works best with clear, high-contrast text

#AI Features

Requires API keys

• AI chat needs Gemini, Mistral, or OpenRouter API key — or use Ollama for local models
• Voice search needs Gemini API key
• Keys stored in gnome-keyring

Performance Limitations

#Memory Usage

200-400MB RAM for full shell

• QML/Qt runtime is heavy
• Disable unused modules to reduce usage
• Low power mode helps on older hardware

#Animations

Can be laggy on older hardware

• Blur effects are expensive
• Reduce animations in settings
• GameMode auto-disables effects
• Switch from Aurora to Material/iNiR style

#Startup Time

2-3 seconds to fully load

• QML compilation takes time
• Singletons load on startup
• Lazy loading helps but isn't instant

Design Limitations

#Configuration

JSON config file

• Not the most user-friendly format
• GUI settings help but don't cover everything
• Some advanced options require manual editing

#Theming

Matugen required for wallpaper colors

• No built-in color extraction
• Matugen must be installed separately
• Manual theme editing is possible but tedious

#Translations

Incomplete translations

• English is primary language
• Some strings not translated
• Contributions welcome

Workarounds

#Missing Features

If a feature you need isn't available:

1. Check if it's compositor-limited
2. Look for alternative approaches
3. Request it as a feature (GitHub issues)
4. Contribute a PR if you can implement it

#Performance Issues

If iNiR is slow:

1. Disable unused modules
2. Enable low power mode
3. Reduce animations
4. Switch to Material or iNiR style (no blur)
5. Use GameMode for fullscreen apps

#Compatibility Issues

If something doesn't work:

1. Check compositor (Niri vs Hyprland)
2. Verify dependencies are installed
3. Check logs for errors
4. Report issue with system info

Future Improvements

Some limitations may be addressed in future versions:

• Better Hyprland support
• More efficient rendering
• Reduced memory usage
• Faster startup time
• More complete translations

No promises, but we're working on it.